Handwork, art and singing have been introduced in all schools as far as staff is available and it is no small change for scholars to be really interested in these activities. An evening class for training teachers in handwork was begun. Singing was supervised by a part-time singing master. The full-time appointment of music master remained unfilled during the year. Further extension of art, handwork and music must await the training of more teachers in this important branch of education. Mathematics is confined to Arithmetic with simple work in algebra and geometry and, though text books from England are used, due attention is paid to exercises in local currency and measures. In English increasing emphasis is laid on oral work, the majority of schools using either West's "New Method" course or Dr. Faucett's "Oxford English Course"; but finally all oral work depends on the speech of the teachers, and this is gradually showing improvement.
The Ellis Kadoorie Indian School had a maximum enrolment in 1939 of 203 in classes ranging from 10 to 5. Many special difficulties had to be dealt with. Many pupils are sons of policemen, watchmen and soldiers. Some are locally born and some migrate from India with their fathers' regiment. As a consequence, there is considerable disparity between their attainments in their vernacular and English and a greater age range than in the schools for Chinese boys. In physique, there are even greater differences. Oral English in this school reaches a somewhat better standard, probably because some English is spoken in many of the homes. Many of these Indian pupils are also familiar with Cantonese.
At the Government primary schools for Chinese and the corresponding classes (viz. classes 8 to 5) at King's College and Queen's College, the school fees are $5 (six shillings and three pence) per mensem; at the Ellis Kadoorie School for Indians, $2 (two shillings and six pence) per mensem. The fees at the rural schools, Cheung Chau and Taipo, are 50 cents and $1 per mensem respectively.
Anglo-Chinese masters and vernacular masters in all Government schools are on a salary scale rising from $900 per annum to $6,000 (£375) per annum in twenty-eight years, the majority having received their training at the Evening Institute teachers' classes; but Anglo-Chinese masters of this class have ceased to be recruited since 1930. Chinese university-trained masters—that is those trained at the University of Hong Kong and occasionally other universities—are on a scale rising from $1,800 to $6,000 per annum, the maximum being reached in twenty-two years. University-trained mistresses teaching in Government schools are on a scale rising from $1,320 to $3,000 (£187) per annum in fourteen years; salaries of assistant vernacular mistresses rise from $420 to $2,400 (£150) per annum.
ii. Aided schools. There were seven grant-in-aid English boys' schools which had primary departments in addition to secondary. With one exception, they were all managed by missions. The pupils included Chinese, Portuguese and Eurasian boys. In addition to these boys' schools, eight aided English girls' schools educated young boys in their lowest classes. The syllabus of work in these schools was very similar to that in the Government schools but boys progressed from the primary to the secondary departments on the results of class examinations; there was no general examination at the end of class 5 as in Government schools.
La Salle College main building was requisitioned by the military authorities on the outbreak of war but classes were continued, under great difficulty, in outbuildings.
Physical training, handwork and singing were extended in many of these schools and six of the schools enjoyed the benefits of visual education using apparatus hired locally by the Teachers Association and films owned by the same organisation. Films were American and English and illustrated work in hygiene, geography (physical and travel) and elementary science. The experiment justified extension of the scheme but further practice in the use of films is required. It should be mentioned that King's College and Queen's College also subscribed to the scheme.
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Handwork, art and singing have been introduced in all schools as far as staff is available and it is no small change for scholars to be really interested in these activities. An evening class for training teachers in handwork was begun. Singing was supervised by a part time singing master. The full time appoint- ment of music master remained unfilled during the year. Further extension of art, handwork and music must await the training of more teachers in this important branch of education. Mathematics is confined to Arithmetic with simple work in algebra and geometry and, though text books from England are used, due attention is paid to exercises in local currency and measures. In English increasing emphasis is laid on oral work, the majority of schools using either West's "New Method" course or Dr. Faucett's "Oxford English Course"; but finally all oral work depends on the speech of the teachers, and this is gradually showing improvement.
The Ellis Kadoorie Indian School had a maximum enrolment in 1939 of 203 in classes ranging from 10 to 5. Many special difficulties had to be dealt with. Many pupils are sons of policemen, watchmen and soldiers. Some are locally born and some migrate from Indian with their fathers' regiment. As a conse- quence there is considerable disparity between their attainments in their vernacular and English and a greater age range than in the schools for Chinese boys. In physique there are even greater differences. Oral English in this school reaches a somewhat better standard, probably because some English is spoken in many of the homes. Many of these Indian pupils are also familiar with Cantonese.
At the Government primary schools for Chinese and the corresponding classes (viz. classes 8 to 5) at King's College and Queen's College, the school fees are $5 (six shillings and three pence) per mensem; at the Ellis Kadoorie School for Indians, $2 (two shillings and six pence) per mensem. The fees at the rural schools, Cheung Chau and Taipo, are 50 and $1 per mensem respectively.
Anglo-Chinese masters and vernacular masters in all Government schools are on a salary scale rising from $900 per annum to $6,000 (£375) per annum in twenty eight years, the majority having received their training at the Evening Institute teachers classes; but Anglo-Chinese masters of this class have ceased to be recruited since 1930. Chinese university-trained masters-that is those trained at the University of Hong Kong and occasionally other universities-are on a scale rising from $1,800 to $6,000 per annum, the maximum being reached in twenty two years. University-trained mistresses teaching in Government schools are on a scale rising from $1,320 to $3,000 (£187) per annum in fourteen years; salaries of assistant vernacular mistresses rise from $420 to $2,400 (£150) per
annum.
ii. Aided schools. There were seven grant-in-aid English boys' schools which had primary departments in addition to secondary. With one exception they were all managed by missions. The pupils included Chinese, Portuguese and Eurasian boys. In addition to these boys schools eight aided English girls' schools educated young boys in their lowest classes. The syllabus of work in these schools was very similar to that in the Government schools but boys progressed from the primary to the secondary departments on the results of class examina- tions; there was no general examination at the end of class 5 as in Government schools.
La Salle College main building was requisitioned by the military authorities on the outbreak of war but classes were continued, under great difficulty, in outbuildings.
Physical training, handwork and singing were extended in many of these schools and six of the schools enjoyed the benefits of visual education using apparatus hired locally by the Teachers Association and films owned by the same organisation. Films were American and English and illustrated work in hygiene, geography (physical and travel) and elementary science. The experiment justi- fied extension of the scheme but further practice in the use of films is required. It should be mentioned that King's College and Queen's College also subscribed to the scheme.
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